he latter of which he removed a bucket-full of feces
in two days. Mr. Wilmot of London has recently given a case where a
gallon of matter was lodged in the caecum, and the intestines
perforated by ulceration."

Dr. Pavy, in his treatise on _The Functions of Digestion_ (p. 232),
writes:

"The morbid conditions that constipation may occasion are of
various kinds. Under an undue retention of fecal matters within the
colon noxious products may be formed there, and act as irritants
upon the mucous coat, setting up inflammation, followed by
ulceration. It is to be here remarked that fecal matters are
sometimes retained in the sacculi or pouches of the colon, and may
give rise to the circumstances referred to, whilst a passage exists
along the centre of the canal that shall permit a daily evacuation
to occur. The dejections, even, may be loose in character, and
still the same sequence of events ensue. From the irritating
influence of preternaturally retained feces, colicky pains are, as
a rule, induced, and the ultimate effects may be such as to lead to
the production of fatal inflammation.

"The effect of constipation upon the muscular coat of the bowel is,
through distention to which it is subjected, to weaken or
deteriorate its evacuating power. As the result of a great amount
of distention, like as happens in the case of the urinary bladder,
more or less complete paralysis is induced. From the prolonged
retention of fecal matter accompanying constipation,
excrementitious products that ought to be eliminated become
absorbed and thereby contaminate the contents of the circulatory
system. As the result of this contamination, the secretions become
vitiated, and a general disturbance of the conditions of life is
produced. The action of the liver becoming deranged, its
eliminative office is imperfectly discharged, and thus sallowness
of the face and a bilious-tinged conjunctiva are produced. A coated
tongue, foul mouth, loss of appetite, and other dyspeptic
manifestations, accompany the general disorder of the digestive
organs that prevails. The accumulation existing in the colon leads
to a sense of distention and uneasiness in the abdomen. The kidneys
vicariously discharge products that ought to have been eliminated
by the alimentary canal. In this manner the urine becomes
preternat